#puertolopez

For all you hopeless romantics out there like myself, the real  reason why we glorify these instances of beauty is because they are simply that… idealized romance. Sundown seems to embody the sheer power of an utterly romantic point in time. Just like love at first sight, it takes your breath away, leaves you speechless and if only for a moment, slows down time. In that instant, you feel the love and gratitude for Mother Nature exude from every inch of your body. A sunset possesses the promise of a new day. With the sun’s last rays peeking out from the horizon comes the realization that tomorrow holds endless possibilities. You know it won’t last, but you savor every last bit of that fleeting beauty.

Recently I’ve come to realize that I collect sunsets. Whether it’s walking to my car at the end of the workday or strolling the sands of an exotic beach, without even noticing it, I’ve managed to use a camera lens to take these evenings home with me. This collection of  cotton candy clouds and radiating hues represents some of the most beautiful moments and most wonderful memories in my life. These snapshots have become sacred treasures in my heart.

We are currently staying in Ayampe, Ecuador and like Canoa it is a very beach surfer town. It is more wooded and jungly than Canoa was but both are pretty small. I tried looking up the population and I couldn’t find it but it is probably pretty small.

Our first night we stayed at La Tortuga and our cabana was super tiny with a double bed and a twin bed but there was barely any room to walk around and it was super cold at night with hardly any blankets. So we checked out of that hotel and came to Spandalus (probably spelled that wrong) and the room is much bigger with the best shower I have had the entire time I have been in Ecuador. Plus there were enough blankets (at least I thought there was). We will stay here one more night.

Yesterday 11/6/2021: we went on a small boat cruise to tour an island where we could snorkel and swim in the ocean and see different fish. At one point we could go to the beach. I didn’t really like using a snorkel mask, but I had my own flippers, goggles and nose plug with me. It was cool to see the fish in the water. The water wasn’t super clear but it was still a lot of fun to swim around. While on the boat we saw a sea turtle, pelicans and sea lions. On the beach I went to look at some barnacles on this rock the ocean riptide pulled and pushed me into some sharp rocks twice. I cut my toe and scrapped my leg.

On the way back from the boat ride we enjoyed Pepsi, watermelon, and a chocolate brownie. It was a cool experience and even though everyone except my dad and I spoke Spanish, I tried asking and talking to some of the people on the boat in Spanish.

For dinner we ate chicken on a stick because it is so good although at first we found someone selling carne (meat) on a plate and I got the chance to try pig intestines. I don’t think I will be eating that again. We didn’t eat the whole thing.

Today 11/7/2021: I found out that it was daylight savings time in the States and it was nice to not loose an hour although I will have to deal with that time change when I go back at the end of the week.

With the pain in my toe we decided to go to Los Frailes Beach. It is located in a national park and it was interesting getting in because we had to show our passports and get our temperatures taken. There is a lot of rock transformation in the water and there are a lot of little fish and crabs to look at. I was able to find another hermit crab on the beach which was really cool. The rocks there and in Ayampe are blue and their shells are all different colors. It was a long enough hike where we were able to get some walking in and see some of the sights without putting my hurt toe in too much pain.

Tonight for dinner we ate in Puerto Lopez and dinner was delicious. I had shrimp in a coconut curry sauce with a salad and rice with fried plantains.

La Sala de Casación Penal dejó en firme la condena contra Víctor Manuel Bravo Rodríguez, al negar las solicitudes de nulidad de la actuación procesal y confirmar la sentencia emitida el 9 de julio de 2021 por el Tribunal Superior de Villavicencio. La decisión corresponde a un proceso por el delito de fraude procesal, relacionado con hechos en los que, según la decisión judicial, utilizó actuaciones irregulares para apropiarse de un porcentaje de propiedad de unos bienes de una cliente.

Con esta determinación judicial ya no procede recurso alguno, por lo que la sentencia queda ejecutoriada. De acuerdo con la decisión, la condena será cumplida bajo el sustitutivo de prisión domiciliaria. En el proceso actuó como apoderado de la parte afectada el abogado Carlos Andrés Gómez García, quien logró que la condena quedara en firme tras agotarse las instancias judiciales.

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